ABSTRACT
The purpose of this chapter is to introduce the terminology and basic functions of a
simple but complete computer, mainly from a programmer’s (user’s) point of view.
We call the simple hypothetical computer ASC (A Simple Computer). Although
ASC appears very primitive in comparison with any commercially available
machine, its organization reflects the basic structure of the most complex modern
computer. The instruction set is limited but complete enough to write powerful
programs. Assembly language programming and understanding of assembly pro-
cess are a must for a system designer. We will not outline the trade-offs involved in
selecting the architectural features of a machine in this chapter. Subsequent chapters
of this book, however, deal with such tradeoffs. The detailed hardware design of
ASC is provided in Chapter 6. Chapters 7 through 15 examine selected architectural
attributes of commercially available computer systems.
